Brought to you by Commport Communications International, inc. Global Data Synchronization

Chapters Chapter 1: Why Data Sync Chapter 2: Data Sync Benefits Chapter 3: What is the GDSN? Chapter 4: How Data Sync Works Chapter 5: Forming an Action Plan Slide 3 Slide 8 Slide 11 Slide 16 Slide 25

Why Data Sync Chapter 1

Where is Data Used? Manufacturing Process Corporate websites Customer facing Internal Catalogues Sell Sheets Administration Sales Initiatives Received Purchase Orders Sent Invoices Sent ASNs Supply Side Data Supply Side Item Data Dimensions manufacturer brand nameUPC Code product category Data Source etc

Demand Side Data Demand Side Item Data brand name colour UPC Code promotions product category Data Recipient Where is Data Used? Corporate websites Consumer facing Internal Logistics Competitive Analysis Marketing Campaigns –Flyers Buying Decisions Merchandising –Plan-o-grams Creation of Purchase Orders Receipt of Invoices/ASNs size

Supply Side Item Data Demand Side Item Data Information Exchange Information is exchanged through the completion of Unique Retailer New Item Introduction Forms Delivered by Fax, , Web, Phone These manual methods are error prone, resource intensive, repetitive and often result in “dirty data” – inaccurate data that cause inefficiencies, affects automation and introduces unnecessary costs through both the supply side and demand side organizations.

Data Synchronization Supply Side Item Data Demand Side Item Data Master Item Data By synchronizing item data using a computerized system the supply side and the demand side both have and can use the SAME item data set - “Master Item Data” By automating the dissemination of their product data, supply side organizations are able to gather the information once and automatically send it to all demand partners that need it. For demand side organizations, synchronization means that they can receive data from the myriad of suppliers, all in the same format, using the same methodology. The process of collaborating with trading partners by sharing the same catalogue information for use in the supply chain.

Data Sync Benefits Chapter 2

Supply Side Benefits Better Category & Promotion Management Maximized retail exposure and product posting – information can be provided to potential new customers Quicker and easier new item introductions through the use of automation and standardization Shorter Go-To-Market timeframes – information can be provided to potential buyers ahead of time Shorter lead time on product promotions – quicker and easier to update information with partners Easier to add or change catalogue items (or their prices) – standardized and automated information distribution Better Bottom Line Increased sales – through quality, organized, timely data Smoother Logistics Efficient order sizing from accurate weights & measures Fewer return shipments – since there are fewer errors and buyers have the confidence that what they are receiving is what was ordered Warehouse Automation is made possible by having accurate item data Having Good-Quality, Accurate Item data can result in: Easier Administrative Data Handling No need for product identifier cross-reference tables Fewer invoice disputes Fewer write-offs Fewer accounts receivable Fewer order defects Fewer downstream shipping and billing discrepancies You are no longer fixing errors, you are selling product!

Demand Benefits Better Category & Promotion Management Ability to expand supplier base – through the use of a global network Simplified/enhanced category reporting – Standardized product classification simplifies reporting Quicker and easier new item introductions – Automated and standard introduction methodology Shorter lead time on product promotions – quicker and easier to update information including price Better Bottom Line Fewer stock-outs – reliable receiving and accurate stock planning Increased sales - – through quality, organized, timely data, smoother logistics, fewer stock- outs and improved promotion management Smoother Logistics Error-free shipment receiving – Since item data is correct and reliable, results in clean orders and receiving Less excess or “safety” stock – having the confidence that orders are reliable means that you can carry less in inventory Easier Administrative Data Handling Less in-store labour required: cost savings – receiving is reliably smooth – reduces resource requirement Less administrative personnel needed: cost savings – Fewer errors requires less reconciliation and as a result reduces the resourcing need Less time spent maintaining catalogues – Accurate data is sourced from the suppliers directly, reducing the management component on the demand side Better fill rates – Accurate and reliable data means that you can improve planning More Satisfied Consumers Better on-shelf availability Quicker checkout times More promotions

What is the GDSN? Chapter 3

Some Definitions GS1 GS1 is a leading global organization dedicated to the design and implementation of global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency and visibility of supply and demand chains globally and across sectors. The GS1 system of standards is the most widely used supply chain standards system in the world. The GDSN is operated by the subsidiary GS1 GDSN Inc. GS1 Global Standards GS1 global standards are XML based standards for data synchronization, price synchronization as well as for supply chain business transactions –In order to perform data synchronization some key data fields are registered on the GDSN. These are: Data Source Global Location Number (GLN) -unique entity identification in GS1 system based on EAN.UCC company prefix Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) – Unique product ID based on EAN.UCC number Global Product Classification (GPC) – product categorization system used by GS1 Standards. Target Market (TM) – country identifier indicating where item will be sold

GDSN The GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network, or GDSN is an automated, standards-based global environment that enables secure and continuous data synchronization, allowing all partners to have consistent item data in their systems at the same time. Established in 2004, GDSN is a distributed system of independent, interoperable data pools connected to the GS1 Global Registry ® that enables retailers and suppliers to efficiently exchange accurate, real-time supply chain data.

Entities in the GDSN Datapool (Data pool) GS1 certified data pools are electronic catalogues of standardized item data. They serve both as a source and/or recipient of master data, and can be run by a GS1 Member Organization, supplier, customer, exchange or service provider. –Source Datapools provide services to data sources – the supply side of a trading relationship –Recipient Datapools provide services to data recipients – the demand side of a trading relationship GS1 Global Registry The GS1 Global Registry is the GDSN's "yellow pages directory" that –Provides information for subscription sharing –Enables data pool interoperability –Guarantees uniqueness of the registered items and parties –Ensures that all data pools in the network are complying with a common basic set of validation rules that support data integrity in the system –Holds the information about who has subscribed to trade item or party data End Users –Data source (supply side ie vendor/supplier) –Data recipient (demand side ie retailer/buyer) The role played aligns with the supply chain position

Who is Using GDSN? Industries: –Fast Moving Consumer Goods –Office Products –Food & Beverage –Hardlines –Healthcare

How Data Synch Works Chapter 4

The Entities

Loading Data (A Data Source Task) What’s involved: Collecting & cleansing data Ensuring standards compliance Establishing manual/automatic data feed Actually load item data into source datapool

Register Data (A Data Source Task) Key data fields are registered, through the source data pool, in the GS1 Global Registry®. These enable subscription routing –GLN –GTIN –GPC –Target Market (TM) All other source data is securely stored within the source data pool

Subscribing to Data (A Data Recipient Task) A subscription request is created by the data recipient It is based on four pieces of information: GTIN, GPC, GLN, TM Subscription requests are built on at least one, or a combination, of those 4 fields Examples TM - To subscribe to all items available in the requested target market GLN, TM – To subscribe to all of the products sold in the requested target market, from a specified vendor (GLN) GTIN – To subscribe to a unique item

Subscribing to Data (In more detail) When a data source has an item registered that matches the subscription request it will be forwarded to the source data pool. Please note that multiple data sources and source data pools may have data that matches the subscription.

Synchronize Data (A Data Source Task) Data source authorizes their data pool to publish the item data This establishes synchronization By being synchronized, any changes made to the source data will automatically be sent to the recipient

Data Confirmation (An Optional Data Recipient Task) This is an optional component which enables the data recipient to specify the status of the item within their internal systems The recipient confirmation tells the data source what action the recipient has taken with their data

How Data Sync works (The Big Picture)

Forming an Action Plan Chapter 5 Next Steps

Address these questions Build a business case – what kinds of problems are you having that can be sourced from inaccurate data? Do you have any outstanding mandates to do data sync? Do you have any trading partners doing data sync? Do you recognize your data as your intellectual property? Get organizational buy in – can you make clean data a part of your corporate culture? How would data synchronization fit into your organization? Have you spoken to your trading partners about data sync?

Source Considerations Data Cleansing –Who in your organization would perform the task? Data Collection –do you have all of the information? –Where is it? How many different systems? –How easy is it to get? Manual or Automated Data Transfer –How many products do you have? –How often do they change? –What are your product life cycles? –How is data collection performed?

Recipient Considerations How are you going to validate data accuracy? How are you going to work with your suppliers? How are you going to use the data you receive? What are the: – GTIN Allocation rules? –Packaging measurement rules? –Other industry best practices? How long will your planning cycle take?

CGS Datapool Services is Commport’s GS1 GDSN certified datapool Our easy to use hosted software offers connectivity for both data sources and recipients CGS includes tools that help with data cleansing through the use of a flexible, customizable work flow interface

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